Repairable plastic and wire crate

ABSTRACT

A material handling crate having a molded plastic bottom panel portion and a body portion formed from a plurality of rod-like metallic members rigidly joined in fixed relation with an improved means for securing the bottom portion and the body portion together to permit assembly and disassembly of the structure to facilitate repair of a damaged crate.

[ 51 Sept. 26, 1972 United States Patent Rehrig 2,949,207 8/1960 Rehrig..................... ...220/l9 [54] REPAIRABLE PLASTIC AND WIRE CRATE [72] Inventor:

Houston Rehrig, 3730 East 26th St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90023 April 24, 1970 Appl. No.: 31,497

99 NH mm M22 m T mm A mm m I L mm W mm m Rmm oa um TAG m T34 A44 PWW N MW mu 2 M42 F93, 63 6 5 [22] Filed:

Primary Examiner-George E. Lowrance A!t0rney-Beveridge & DeGrandi [57] ABSTRACT A material handling crate having a molded plastic bottom panel portion and a body portion formed from n plurality of rod-like metallic members rigidly joined in fixed relation with an improved means for securing the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS bottom portion and the body portion together to per- 't assembly and disassembly of the structure to 3,428,204 Wilson.......................220/4 R 2997,55 8/l96l Muckler ........220/|9 x facfl'tate ofa damaged crate 2,804,227 8/1957 Elfgren .........A..........220/l9 X 14 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDSEPZB 1912 3.693; 823

SHEET 1 [1F 3 INVENTOR HOUSTON REHRIG BY gap/1A g 321 GM ATTORNEYS PATENTED SEP26 I972 SHEET 2 BF 3 INVENTOR HOUSTON REHRIG BY i '91 ATTORNEYS PATENTED SEP 26 m2 SHEET 3 OF 3 iNVENTOR HOUSTON mm ATTORNEYS REPAIRABLE PLASTIC AND WIRE CRATE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to material handling crates, and more particularly to an improved repairable material handling crate having separable bottom and side portions constructed of dissimilar materials.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART It is known to construct material handling crates of the type commonly employed in the dairy industry with portions thereof fonned of a molded plastic material and other portions formed of a wire frame structure in order to utilize the peculiar advantages of each construction in a single crate. Such crates are illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 0212,074 and in my prior US. Pat. No. 3,430,807. While such crates have enjoyed limited commercial success, it is believed that their failure to attain more widespread acceptance has been, at least in part, because these prior crates could not be economically repaired by the user afier the crate was damaged in use. The rigidly welded structure interconnecting the wire frame and plastic components of the prior art crates did not readily lend itself to disassembly of the component parts so that a crate having only one portion damaged would normally have to be scrapped or returned to the manufacturer for repair at considerable cost. For example, the plastic bottom portion of a new crate might be damaged, as by a nail or rough joint in a pallet, while the wire frame portion of the crate remains completely undamaged. Yet, it might well be more economical to scrap the undamaged portion than to return it to the manufacturer for repairs.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved material handling crate in which the bottom panel and side panels of the crate are formed of dissimilar materials and joined together into a rigid assembly by connecting means permitting disassembly and reassembly of the components.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a material handling crate in which the bottom portion of the crate is formed from a molded plastic material and the body portion of the crate is formed as a rigid wire frame structure, with the body portion being releasably mounted on the bottom portion to form a rigidly assembled crate.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved connection means for releasably connecting separately formed bottom and body portions of a crate into a rigid assembly.

Another object is to provide a repairable material handling crate having portions of molded plastic and other portions of welded wire frame construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The foregoing and other objects of the invention are attained in a material handling crate in which the bottom portion is injection molded from a synthetic resin material in the form of a shallow tray including a bottom panel and an integrally molded skirt or flange extending upwardly along the edges of the bottom panel to define the side panels of the shallow tray. The body portion of the crate is made of a plurality of upwardly extending metallic rod or wire members arranged to define the side walls of the crate. The side walls are joined at spaced intervals along their length by a plurality of endless horizontal rod members extending around the outer peripheral surface of the body portion and rigidly joining the side walls at the comers of the crate.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of apertures are formed at spaced intervals around the top of the skirt and the vertical wire members of the side walls have reversely bent tab portions on their lower ends which are disposed within and project through the apertures. An elongated wire pin member positioned along the outer surface of each side wall of the skirt'extends through the reversely bent tab portions to rigidly retain the wire frame and the plastic portions of the crate in rigidly assembled relation. However, the elongated wire pin members may be forcibly withdrawn to permit the tab elements to be withdrawn from the apertures when it is desired to disassemble the plastic and wire frame portions. Thus, when either portion of a crate becomes damaged, the user of the crate may disassemble the structure, replace the damaged portion, and realize a very substantial saving over the price of a new crate or the cost of returning the crate to the manufacturer for possible repair.

According to another embodiment of the invention, one of the endless horizontal rod members is located adjacent the bottom edge of the wire frame body in position to be seated on a ledge formed adjacent the top of the plastic skirt. A plurality of removable retainer members project through apertures in the plastic skirt and releasably engage the rod member to rigidly clamp the rod in firm engagement with the ledge.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken with the drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a wire frame and plastic crate embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the manner of assembly of the components of the crate shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1',

FIG. 4 is an exploded view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the assembly of the components;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 taken on line 5-5 of FIG. I;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. I, with portions broken away to more clearly illustrate other portions;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary exploded view, in perspective illustrating the manner of assembling the components of an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view, in elevation, showing the components of FIG. 7 in assembled relation;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. I0 is a perspective view of a tool suitable for use in disassembly of the assembly shown in FIGS. 7-9;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 8 and illustrating a further embodiment of the inventiomand FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of the structure shown in FIG. 11.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 through 6, a generally rectangular material handling crate embodying the invention is indicated generally by the reference 10. and illustrated as including a molded plastic bottom, or tray portion 12 and an upwardly extending wire frame body portion 14. The body portion 14 includes perpendicularly arranged side walls, each made up of a plurality of generally vertically extending rod-like metallic wire members 16 rigidly retained in their respective positions by welding to a plurality of horizontal endless rod members 18 disposed around the outer periphery of the body portion 14. A sheet metal corner guard 20 may be mounted between adjacent wire members 16 at each corner of the body portion, if desired.

Each of the vertical wire members 16 terminate in a downwardly depending cantilevered lower end portion with a reversely bent, substantially V-shaped connecting tab 22 adjacent its distal end. The vertex portion of the respective V-shaped connecting tabs 22 are all directed outwardly from the side panels for the purpose to be described more fully herein below. Also, the lowermost endless rod member 18 is spaced substantially above the connecting tabs 22 to permit the respective rod members 16 to be resiliently deflected inwardly from their normal vertical position.

The molded plastic bottom portion 12 is in the form of a shallow tray and includes a rectangular bottom panel 26, preferably of an open grid construction defined by a plurality of perpendicularly arranged web members 28, 30, 32. Also, bottom panel 26 preferably has an integrally molded stacking ring 34 extending around its bottom peripheral edge. A bottom panel structure of this general type is described in detail in U. S. Pat. No. 3,351,228, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and reference to this prior patent may be had for a more complete understanding of the construction.

Bottom portion 12 includes a skirt 36 integrally molded with the bottom panel 26 and projecting upwardly from the peripheral edges thereof to define the side walls of the tray. As indicated in FIG. I, the tray is relatively shallow when compared to the overall depth of the crate. The skirt 36 has a smooth vertical inner surface 38 and terminates at its top edge in a first outwardly directed flange 42. A second flange 44 is integrally formed on and projects outwardly from the outer surface of skirt 36 in vertically spaced parallel relation to flange 42. Flanges 42 and 44 are of relatively heavy cross section and extend completely around the periphery of the tray to add strength and rigidity to the top of the skirt 36. Positioned between flanges 42 and 44 are a pair of parallel webs 46, 48 which project outwardly from the outer surface of skirt 36 to define a channel, or groove 50 along each side wall of the tray.

A plurality of apertures 52 are formed in skirt 36 at spaced intervals around the entire periphery thereof. Apertures 52 are in the form of elongated notches extending downwardly from the top edge of skirt 36, terminating at a position approximately adjacent the top edge of flange 44. These notches extend laterally into flange 42 only to a depth approximately equal to the diameter of vertical rod members 16, but extend completely through webs 46 and 48, as seen in FIG. 4 and 6. Also, as seen in FIG. I, the webs 46, 48 do not extend completely to the corners of the tray but rather terminate a slight distance therefrom for the purpose more fully'explained herein below.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it is seen that the wire frame body portion 14 is assembled 'onto the molded plastic tray, or bottom portion 12, by placing the tray on a support surface and positioning the inclined lower outer surface 54 on each tab 22 into the top of one of the notches 52. Vertical pressure is then applied to the top of the wire frame section, camming the downwardly depending lower portion of the vertical wire element 16 inwardly until each tab 22 snaps past the flange 42 and projects outwardly through an aperture 52 as seen in FIG. 3. An elongated wire pin 56 is then inserted in the channel 50 between webs 46 and 48 and threaded therealong passing through the vertex of the tabs 22. Preferably the ends 58 of the pins 56 are tapered, or slightly sharpened as indicated at 57 in FIG. 2, to facilitate inserting them into position, and to cam the tabs outwardly to firmly engage the outer edge of wire 16 with the flange 42. Pin 56 fits snugly between webs 46 and 48, and firmly engages the vertex portion of tabs 22 to rigidly retain the wire frame and molded plastic components in assembled relation without use of the welded joints employed in the prior art wire frame and plastic crates mentioned above. Elimination of the welded joints greatly facilitates assembly and substantially reduces the manufacturing cost of the crate.

To disassemble the wire frame and plastic portions of the crate, it only becomes necessary to grasp the end portion of the respective pins 56 with a suitable pliertype tool, deflect the ends outward slightly to pass clear of retaining web 59, and forcibly withdraw the pins one at a time from between the webs 46, 48. With the four pins thus removed, the wire frame may then readily be manually lifted from the plastic tray by simply placing a foot on the bottom panel 26, grasping opposed sides of the wire frame, and lifting. A crate as described above can readily be completely disassembled in less than l5 seconds using only a pair of conventional pliers ground to facilitate grasping the end of the pins. To further facilitate grasping the pins, the webs 46, 48 do not extend the full length of the side walls of the tray, whereby the pin normally projects outwardly therefrom as illustrated at 58 in FIG. 1. Retaining web 59 prevents the pin from working out of position during prolonged use of the crate.

Crates of the general configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, and of a size conventionally employed by the dairy industry, have been subjected to stringent testing procedures to evaluate the rigid, removable connection between the wire frame and plastic components. The construction of the connection is such that vertical loads applied to the crate are not concentrated at the juncture of the vertical rod members and the plastic bottom, but instead this load is distributed through the pins 56 and webs 46, 48 along a substantial portion of the side panels. Thus, the tests have shown that a vertical load of up to 3,000 pounds applied to the top of such a crate will not damage or in any way adversely affect this rigid connection. Other tests to destruction have shown that the welded joints of the wire frame portion of the crate, which joints were formed in the manner conventional in the construction of a wire frame dairy crate, would fail before any damage occurred to the connecting means. Once failure of the wire frame body had occurred, it was found that this portion could be readily removed, and a new wire frame portion installed on the previously tested plastic tray to produce a new, rigidly assembled crate.

Referring now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7-9 of the drawings, the molded plastic bottom tray portion 112 includes a rectangular bottom panel 126 identical to that employed in the plastic tray 12 described above. The vertically extending side wall, or skirt 136, has a smooth inner surface 138, and terminates at its top edge in an outwardly directed flange 140 having an integrally formed vertically extending flange 142 formed around its outer periphery to define a substantially L-shaped ledge 144 extending around the top of the plastic tray. A second outwardly directed flange 146 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the skirt 136 and extends around the peripheral surface thereof in vertically spaced relation to the top flange 140.

A plurality of apertures 152 are formed in the plastic skirt 136 at spaced intervals around the entire periphery thereof. The apertures 152 are in the form of notches extending downwardly through the top horizontal surface of ledge 144 and the wall 136 to a position adjacent the top surface of flange 146.

The wire frame body portion employed in this embodiment is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings and differs therefrom only in that the vertical wire members 116 do not have the V-shaped connecting tabs formed on their bottom end, but instead have an endless rod member 118 rigidly welded, as at 122, adjacent their bottom ends. As seen in FIG. 8, endless rod member 118, and the bottom end portions 120 of vertical wire 116 normally rest on the top surface of ledge 144, with the rod member 118 engaging the vertical inner surface of the flange 142 so that the inner surface 138 of skirt 136 is positioned in the same vertical plane with the inner surface of the vertical wires 116.

The wire frame portion is releasably secured on the plastic tray 112 by elongated wire connecting members 154 positioned between flanges 140 and 146. Connecting members 154 each have a plurality'of reversely bent, hook-shaped tab portions 156 formed therein in position to project one through each of the openings 152 along each side of the plastic tray. The wire fastener 154 is inserted into the space between flanges 140 and 146 by first inserting the hooked end portions 158 of the tabs 156 through apertures 152. The hooked ends of tabs 156 are then turned upward and forced to snap over the horizontal rod member 118 to rigidly clamp the flange 138 between the horizontal portion of wire connector 154 and the endless rod member 118. The tabs 156 may be forced over the rod 118 by a suitable clamping tool such as a pair of pliers, or the like, or alternatively the crate may be turned on its side so that the outer surface of flange 142 rests on a support surface, then striking the individual tabs 156 with a hammer to snap the tabs one-at-a-time over the rod 1 18.

To separate the wire frame and plastic portions of the assembled crate, a suitable tool such as that illustrated in FIG. 10 is employed to book under the outwardly directed end portion 158 of the tabs 156 to force the tab up and inward over the endless rod 118. As indicated in FIG. 10, this tool may include an elongated lever member 160 having an outwardly projecting hook 162 formed thereon, with a heel, or base 164 adapted to rest against the inner peripheral surface of the plastic skirt 136. The heel 164 has an enlarged portion 166 adapted to fit within the aperture 152 to engage the base of the connecting tabs 156 so that, as force is applied to the handle 168, the hook 162 engaging the tab end 158 will apply a rotating motion to the tab 156 to lift and turn the tab off the endless rod 118. This in no way damages the connecting wire 154 so that it may be repeatedly installed and removed.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12 of the drawings, there is illustrated a further embodiment of the invention, which differs only slightly from that shown in FIGS. 7 through 9. This embodiment employs the same wire frame portion of the crate as that illustrated in FIGS. 7 through 9, and the plastic tray portion 212 differs from tray 112 primarily in that the apertures 252 extend vertically from the top of ledge 242 throughout the full height of the skirt 236 and through a horizontal flange 244 extending around the peripheral edge of the bottom panel 226. The wire frame and plastic tray portions are retained in assembled relation by a welded wire connector assembly positioned along each side of the plastic crate to resiliently clamp the endless horizontal bar 1 18 onto the ledge 240. The welded connector assembly includes a horizontal bar member 254, which extends beneath and engages the bottom surface of the horizontal flange 244, and a plurality of upwardly extending clamping elements 256. The clamping elements 256 are in the form of vertical rod members each terminating at its upper end in a reversely bent or hooked portion 258 adapted to snap over and resiliently retain the horizontal bar 118 in the same manner as that described with respect to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7-9. The components of this embodiment are assembled in much the same manner, inserting the hook members through the elongated slottype apertures 252 until the rod member 254 firmly engages the bottom surface of flange 244 beneath skirt 236. The hook portion 258 is then snapped over the horizontal rod 1 18 as described above.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the inner surface of the crate walls, defined in part by the wire frame and in part by the vertical wall of the tray portion, may readily be maintained as a planar surface, thereby eliminating any protrusions into the crate which might interfere with filling the crate. In addition to the structural and aesthetic value of employing a tray rather than a simple panel for the bottom plastic portion, a further and important advantage is the ability of the user of the crate to apply appropriate markings, names, or the like, to the outer surface of the panels of the tray.

While I have disclosed and described preferred embodiments of my invention, I wish it understood that I do not intend to be restricted solely thereto, but that I do intend to include all embodiments thereof which would be apparent to one skilled in the art and which come within the spirit and scope of my invention.

lclaim:

l. A repairable material handling crate comprising a bottom portion in the form of a shallow tray molded from a plastic material and including a rectangular bottom panel and upwardly directed side panels at each side edge of said bottom panel, an upwardly extending body portion formed from a plurality of elongated rodlike metal members rigidly welded in fixed relation, connecting means releasably mounting said body portion on said bottom portion to form a rigidly assembled structure, said connecting means including a plurality of apertures formed in and extending through said side panels at positions spaced above said bottom panel, anchoring tab means formed on said rod-like metal members and projecting through said apertures, and removable pin means engaging said tab means and said bottom portion to form a high strength interlocking connection between said body and said bottom portions, said connecting means being operable to permit disassembly and reassembly of said body and bottom portions whereby a damaged crate may be repaired by disassembling the crate and replacing a damaged portion thereof.

2. The material handling crate defined in claim 1, wherein said connecting means further comprises means defining an outwardly directed channel along an outer surface of each said side panel, said pin means being disposed within said channel.

3. A high strength material handling crate comprising a tray molded from a plastic material defining the bottom portion of the crate, said tray including a bottom panel and an integrally molded upwardly extending skirt defining the side panels of the tray, a body portion defined by a plurality of side walls rigidly joined along contiguous edges, said body portion being formed from a plurality of elongated rod-like metal members rigidly welded in fixed relation to define an open framework, and connecting means releasably joining the lower edge portion of said side walls one to each side panel of said tray to form a rigidly assembled crate with said side panels and said side walls cooperating to define the sides of said crate, said connecting means forming a high strength load carrying joint between said body and bottom portions and including a plurality of apertures formed in said skirt at spaced intervals therearound, a plurality of connector tabs integrally formed on said body portion and extending through said apertures, and elongated connector wire means releasably connecting said panels and said side walls to rigidly mount said body portion on said tray.

4. The crate defined in claim 3 wherein said tab means comprise a plurality of individual tabs formed one on at least selected ones of said rod-like metal members at spaced intervals around the periphery of said crate, and wherein said wire means comprises an elongated wire pin adapted to engage said tabs projecting through said apertures.

5. The crate defined in claim 3 wherein said wire means comprises an elongated wire-like pin member extending along substantially the full length of each said side panel, each said pin extending between one of said side panels and the associated tabs to retain said tab against withdrawal from said apertures, said pins being adapted to be withdrawn longitudinally of themselves to permit said tabs to be withdrawn from said apertures.

6. The crate defined in claim 5 further comprising stop means integrally molded on said side panels in position to engage said pin means to restrain said pin means against vertical movement relative to said tray upon application of vertical forces tending to separate said body portion and said tray.

7. The crate defined in claim 6 wherein said stop means comprises a channel extending horizontally along the outer surface of said side panels adjacent said apertures.

8. The crate defined in claim 7 wherein said channel is defined by a pair of outwardly projecting, vertically spaced webs, said webs overlying said apertures whereby said apertures extend into said channel.

9. The crate defined in claim 3 further comprising an outwardly directed flange integrally molded on said skirt adjacent the top portion thereof, and wherein said apertures comprise vertically extending notches formed in the top portion of said side panels, said notches extending laterally only partially through said flange.

10. The crate defined in claim 9 wherein at least selected ones of said rod-like metal members extend in a generally vertical direction and terminate adjacent the bottom of said body portion in a downwardly depending free end, and wherein said tab means comprise substantially V-shaped reversely bent portions on the lower end of said rod-like metal members, the vertex portion of said V-shaped tab members projecting outwardly through said apertures with said pin means extending through each said vertex portion adjacent an outer surface of said panels to releasably retain said tabs from being withdrawn from said apertures.

ll. The crate defined in claim 10 wherein said side panels and said side walls cooperate to define substantially planar inner surfaces for said crate.

12. A high strength material handling crate comprising a tray molded from a plastic material defining the bottom portion of the crate, said tray including a bottom panel and an integrally molded upwardly extending skirt defining the side panels of the tray, a body portion defined by a plurality of side walls rigidly joined along contiguous edges, said body portion being formed from a plurality of elongated rod-like metal members rigidly welded in fixed relation to define an open framework, and connecting means releasably joining the lower edge portion of said side walls one to each side panel of said tray to form a rigidly assembled crate with said side panels and said side walls cooperating to define the side of said crate, said connecting means forming a high strength load carrying joint between said body and bottom portions and including a plurality of apertures formed in said side panel at spaced intervals around said skirt, a removable elongated wire connector member extending along each side panel adjacent said apertures formed therein, and a plurality of connector tabs integrally formed on said elongated wire members positioned one in each said aperture and extending therethrough and releasably interconnecting said elongated wire connector members and a metal rod member on said body portion positioned adjacent said apertures, said connector tabs normally retaining said bottom and said body portions in rigidly assembled relation and being releasable to permit separation thereof.

13. The crate defined in claim 12 wherein said elongated metal rod member comprises an endless rod extending around and rigidly welded to said body portion adjacent the bottom thereof, and wherein said connector tabs are integrally formed with said elongated wire members, said connector tabs being in the form of offset, generally U-shaped loops having their closed ends bent laterally into the shape of a shallow hook adapted 

1. A repairable material handling crate comprising a bottom portion in the form of a shallow tray molded from a plastic material and including a rectangular bottom panel and upwardly directed side panels at each side edge of said bottom panel, an upwardly extending body portion formed from a plurality of elongated rod-like metal members rigidly welded in fixed relation, connecting means releasably mounting said body portion on said bottom portion to form a rigidly assembled structure, said connecting means including a plurality of apertures formed in and extending through said side panels at positions spaced above said bottom panel, anchoring tab means formed on said rodlike metal members and projecting through said apertures, and removable pin means engaging said tab means and said bottom portion to form a high strength interlocking connection between said body and said bottom portions, said connecting means being operable to permit disassembly and reassembly of said body and bottom portions whereby a damaged crate may be repaired by disassembling the crate and replacing a damaged portion thereof.
 2. The material handling crate defined in claim 1, wherein said connecting means further comprises means defining an outwardly directed channel along an outer surface of each said side panel, said pin means being disposed within said channel.
 3. A high strength material handling crate comprising a tray molded from a plastic material defining the bottom portion of the crate, said tray including a bottom panel and an integrally molded upwardly extending skirt defining the side panels of the tray, a body portion defined by a plurality of side walls rigidly joined along contiguous edges, said body portion being formed from a plurality of elongated rod-like metal members rigidly welded in fixed relation to define an open framework, and connecting means releasably joining the lower edge portion of said side walls one to each side panel of said tray to form a rigidly assembled crate with said side panels and said side walls cooperating to define the sides of said crate, said connecting means forming a high strength load carrying joint between said body and bottom portions and including a plurality of apertures formed in said skirt at spaced intervals therearound, a plurality of connector tabs integrally formed on said body portion and extending through said apertures, and elongated connector wire means releasably connecting said panels and said side walls to rigidly mount said body portion on said tray.
 4. The crate defined in claim 3 wherein said tab means comprise a plurality of individual tabs formed one on at least selected ones of said rod-like metal members at spaced intervals around the periphery of said crate, and wherein said wire means comprises an elongated wire pin adapted to engage said tabs projecting through said apertures.
 5. The crate defined in claim 3 wherein said wire means comprises an elongated wire-like pin member extending along substantially the full length of each said side panel, each said pin extending between one of said side panels and the associated tabs to retain said tab against withdrawal from said apertures, said pins being adapted to be withdraWn longitudinally of themselves to permit said tabs to be withdrawn from said apertures.
 6. The crate defined in claim 5 further comprising stop means integrally molded on said side panels in position to engage said pin means to restrain said pin means against vertical movement relative to said tray upon application of vertical forces tending to separate said body portion and said tray.
 7. The crate defined in claim 6 wherein said stop means comprises a channel extending horizontally along the outer surface of said side panels adjacent said apertures.
 8. The crate defined in claim 7 wherein said channel is defined by a pair of outwardly projecting, vertically spaced webs, said webs overlying said apertures whereby said apertures extend into said channel.
 9. The crate defined in claim 3 further comprising an outwardly directed flange integrally molded on said skirt adjacent the top portion thereof, and wherein said apertures comprise vertically extending notches formed in the top portion of said side panels, said notches extending laterally only partially through said flange.
 10. The crate defined in claim 9 wherein at least selected ones of said rod-like metal members extend in a generally vertical direction and terminate adjacent the bottom of said body portion in a downwardly depending free end, and wherein said tab means comprise substantially V-shaped reversely bent portions on the lower end of said rod-like metal members, the vertex portion of said V-shaped tab members projecting outwardly through said apertures with said pin means extending through each said vertex portion adjacent an outer surface of said panels to releasably retain said tabs from being withdrawn from said apertures.
 11. The crate defined in claim 10 wherein said side panels and said side walls cooperate to define substantially planar inner surfaces for said crate.
 12. A high strength material handling crate comprising a tray molded from a plastic material defining the bottom portion of the crate, said tray including a bottom panel and an integrally molded upwardly extending skirt defining the side panels of the tray, a body portion defined by a plurality of side walls rigidly joined along contiguous edges, said body portion being formed from a plurality of elongated rod-like metal members rigidly welded in fixed relation to define an open framework, and connecting means releasably joining the lower edge portion of said side walls one to each side panel of said tray to form a rigidly assembled crate with said side panels and said side walls cooperating to define the side of said crate, said connecting means forming a high strength load carrying joint between said body and bottom portions and including a plurality of apertures formed in said side panel at spaced intervals around said skirt, a removable elongated wire connector member extending along each side panel adjacent said apertures formed therein, and a plurality of connector tabs integrally formed on said elongated wire members positioned one in each said aperture and extending therethrough and releasably interconnecting said elongated wire connector members and a metal rod member on said body portion positioned adjacent said apertures, said connector tabs normally retaining said bottom and said body portions in rigidly assembled relation and being releasable to permit separation thereof.
 13. The crate defined in claim 12 wherein said elongated metal rod member comprises an endless rod extending around and rigidly welded to said body portion adjacent the bottom thereof, and wherein said connector tabs are integrally formed with said elongated wire members, said connector tabs being in the form of offset, generally U-shaped loops having their closed ends bent laterally into the shape of a shallow hook adapted to be resiliently snapped over and to releasably retain said rod member.
 14. The crate defined in claim 12 wherein said skirt terminates at its open top in an L-shaped ledge extending around its inner periphery dEfining a seat for the bottom edge of said body portion, and an outwardly directed channel extending around the outer periphery of said skirt receiving said wire member, said apertures extending between said channel and said ledge. 